Scouring pads are known, in particular those made of stainless steel wire of thickness lying in the range 0.01 millimeters (mm) to 0.5 mm, and preferably being about 0.025 mm. The wire is looped, with the loops being formed, for example, by helically-shaped turns. To form the pad, the wire is rolled up so as to constitute a wad. The loops of the wire catch on one another so as to give the wad a degree of cohesion while also conferring a cellular structure thereto (low density). The loops also form scouring surfaces that are needed to make the pad effective, for example in order to scour utensils such as dishes or pans.
By way of example, the wire is calendared between two cylinders which give it a flat section of given thickness; it is then pulled tight over a sharp edge and, while in this situation, it is moved rapidly so as to form the helical loops, as by a spring effect. Scouring pads of that type are very effective for scouring. Nevertheless, after a certain amount of use, the wad tends to come undone, i.e. it tends to lose its uniformity. The loops that serve for scouring purposes tend to separate from one another and to become flattened. As a result the pad loses some of its effectiveness and it is less agreeable to use.
An object of the present invention is to remedy those drawbacks by proposing a pad of the above-specified type in which the wad retains its cohesion for longer.